Tokyo: The life of a literary giant begins with home self-defense!

Chapter 131: Listen to the Wind
Takako Takeda felt a little strange.

A few days ago, that little bastard Longchuan Tetsu said that he was not welcome in this youth award and that government officials were bossing him around.

But today
"Why are you sitting here?"

Ryukawa Toru sat in the main seat in the middle of the crowd. Mrs. Takeda looked around and reluctantly sat down next to the boy.

She had been planning to say a few words to him in private, but with him sitting in such a prominent position, Mrs. Takeda felt a little embarrassed.

"I do not know."

Ryukawa Toru was smiling but still shameless towards Mrs. Takeda.

"Someone asked me to sit here."

As the boy spoke, he pinched Mrs. Takeda's black stockings, which felt very good.

Takeda Takako blushed and Imamura Yukawa, who was sitting on the other side of Ryukawa Toru, twitched his eyelids.

"Everyone has learned about the Akutagawa Prize."

I don't want to see Longchuan Che teasing a beautiful lady from a good family anymore.

An official from the Ministry of Education, Imamura Yukawa, stood up and said.

"I came here this time to ask you to publish a work."

The middle-aged man went straight to the point and asked the assistant next to him to distribute the manuscripts one by one.

"novella?"

Unlike the face-to-face discussions between an author and an editor in the past, a manuscript is now presented to several of the largest publishing houses on the market.

Shinchosha, Kodansha, Shueisha, Shogakukan.

Except for Shinchosha, which only focuses on the field of pure literature, the others are comprehensive publishing houses.

Comprehensive publishing houses are not limited to pure literary works, but also include popular works and comics.

An editor from Shueisha raised his glasses and looked at Imamura Yukawa.

"Let's take a look first."

Imamura Yukawa did not intend to explain, but instead spoke as if giving an order.

The crowd was not dissatisfied. Instead, they opened the manuscript one by one and read on as if it was habit.

The novel has a loose structure and is almost a freehand sketch.

"Have you changed your style?"

I had just read a little bit when Taro Ono, a representative of Shinchosha, asked a question.

Longchuan Che's mentor frowned, thinking that the young man he favored was fooling around.

A writer's writing style is a skill that has been honed over a long period of time. "Snow Country" is gorgeous and beautiful, but the manuscript in my hand now has a light and playful style, and is full of humor between the lines.

It is a novel for young people to read.

Ono Taro thought so in his heart.

"Ah."

Longchuan Che nodded without saying anything more.

"These three protagonists."

An editor asked with a frown.

The influence of the Akutagawa Prize is well known to everyone, and everyone knows why they were invited.

It's nothing more than wanting to come up with a work that would be enough to comfort teenage readers during this turbulent time, but look at what Ryuukawa Toru wrote.

An 'I'.

I'm only 21 years old, but I've already slept with three girls. The first one was my high school classmate, who disappeared after graduation.

The second one was a hippie girl whom I met by chance during the student movement. She lived in my dormitory for a week and then disappeared, leaving a note saying "You are a disgusting guy".

The third one was a girl majoring in French whom I met in the university library. She later ended her life in the woods.

When I learned the sad news, I was "smoking my 6,920th cigarette."

Absurd, confusing, and in line with current reality.

"I thought you were going to write something more positive."

Halfway through reading it, Ono Taro smiled bitterly.

The first protagonist alone was so depressed, not to mention the four-fingered girl who had an abortion for the man because she thought he "might like her", and the rat who started cursing "rich people are all bastards" as soon as he appeared.

The three protagonists are absurd and confused, which clearly describes the decadent feeling of the current youth.

"Keep reading."

Longchuan Tetsu didn't explain. The novel only had 40,000 words, so he would soon finish it. "This author appears several times here. Is there an American author like him?"

In the novel, apart from the "I" who just graduated, the "rat" which symbolizes the "I" in his twenties, and the four-fingered girl who was picked up, the American writer Hartfield appears most frequently.

“It’s fiction.”

Ono Taro said with certainty, then looked at Ryukawa Toru hesitantly.

“This author.”

"You can also think of him as 'me'."

The first protagonist of the novel is undoubtedly the "I" who returns to his hometown for vacation, but between the lines there is also a metaphor that the "rat" who is his good friend is also "I".

The writing is bizarre, with a sense of time distortion and illusion, but the imaginary author is also 'me'.

Ono Taro felt a little tingling on his scalp.

This is a novel about "I" and "me".

It is a journey of self-healing of a depressed young man.

The three protagonists are decadent, self-deprecating and lonely.

But the imaginary writer Hatfield said:
-
Don't worry about me, I'm just the wind/We are wandering in time, from the birth of the universe to the death of the universe. So we have no life or death, we are just the wind.

"You don't say anything, just let those young people experience it themselves?"

Ono Taro remained silent.

The biggest feature of "Listen to the Wind" is that it describes the confusion and helplessness of young people in the current social situation.

Ryukawa Tetsu seemed to be saying, "Are they really broken?" "They are just a bunch of confused people."

Just like the protagonist 'I', just like the protagonist 'rat', just like the protagonist 'four-fingered girl'.

Who will lead them out of confusion?

It could be Toru Ryukawa, or it could be the fictional writer Hatfield, or it could be themselves.

"Rely on self-awakening?"

Ono Taro smiled and said, "Hear the Wind Sing" will be published in this issue of Shincho."

The Ministry of Education only cooperates with various publishing houses.

The editors-in-chief of each magazine decide on which page a specific work will be published and in what form.

"Shincho" occupied the largest pure literature market, and Imamura Yukawa breathed a sigh of relief.

"This is Shueisha"

The two editors-in-chief of Shueisha whispered to each other.

"It can be published in Novel Subaru."

Whether it was due to pressure from the Ministry of Education, "Hear the Wind Sing" is indeed satisfying enough.

Shueisha also gave a good layout.

"This is Shogakukan"

The editor-in-chief of Shogakukan shook his head. They mainly published youth comics and magazines of women's literary works, and "Hear the Wind Sing" was not suitable for them.

The problem with this publishing house is the crowd. Imamura Yukawa didn't say anything and turned his gaze towards the remaining person together with Ryukawa Toru.

"Kodansha, Kodansha"

How would Mrs. Takeda know whether something is good or not?

She will definitely sign it, but the question is what page space and in which magazine it will be published.

Mrs. Takeda was extremely anxious.

"Ms. Takeda."

Ryuukawa Toru, who unexpectedly changed into a well-fitting suit today, stood up from the conversation table.

The bomb that Monk Hongping casually dropped caused a panic among the Japanese youth.

To calm down this storm, we need to gain more market share.

Some of Kodansha's magazines are the largest in Japan.

Longchuan Che picked up the contract on the table and took his wife's slender wrist.

"Please come with me for a moment."

Longchuan Che took his wife and walked towards his room.

(End of this chapter)